TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CDLX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "You can knock off the King's head once.  But you can knock off the King's hat any number of times."  from G. K. Chesterton's, "What's Wrongs with the World."

QUOTE II:  "Thrift is poetic because it is creative; waste is unpoetic because it is waste."  same source

IN OTHER NEWS:

E. F. sent in THIS article about a house of discernment in the Diocese of Shrewbury in response to the possible idea of creating something in Akron.

Below is an advertisement by Henninger's that I found thought provoking.  Let me begin by saying bravi to all of the people who worked on the project.   BUT WHAT I FIND INTERESTING (and this is not meant as a slight to Henninger's) is that for many years progress and art would have reversed these pictures (or worse.)  When I was in junior high school I asked my pastor when will the Catholic Church stop ruining their churches.  He responded, and I quote, "When all of the money to be made wrecking the churches has been accomplished, they will then make a killing returning them all to their former splendor."  Quote a prophet that Fr. Joe.

 Here are some possible events for you:

Here is a picture from our Steel Drum concert.  I was really praying that we would get at least 20 people there.  In the end there was over 100 people at St. Paul in Akron!  Thank you so much for coming out!

If you would like to see a quick video snippet of the ACA Community steel drum band, go HERE.  And remember - we are always looking for new members.  Go HERE to find out more.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: HAPPY FEAST OF THE MAGI!

It has been a while since I have posted I know.  It was a busy advent/Christmas season (so far.)  Big concert today too!  Well, maybe not big - but it is big to us.  Our first steel drum concert at St. Paul (4PM).  Anyway, I wanted to get back to posting but could not think of anything.  Then, in prayer, this was revealed to me what must have happened all those years ago:

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CDLIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "Meaning is the ultimate balance between, on the one hand, the chaos of transformation and possibility and on the the other, the discipline of pristine order, whose purpose is to produce out of the attendant chaos a new order that will be even more immaculate, and capable of bringing forth a still more balanced and productive chaos and order."  from Jordan Peterson's, "12 Rules for Life"

IN OTHER NEWS:

The final Advent Noon Adoration & Organ Recital is today!

 Here is the Christmas Mass Schedule:

 How can you not love living in a city with stores like this?

I wrote an article last week about starting a community for young adults in Akron.  I am told that it has become a matter of discussion in some circles and the article has become one of most read in recent times.  THE ONLY PROBLEM IS that few are giving me the feedback.  A few have, but if this is going to move forward, I need some evidence that it is needed.  Please consider Emailing me or in some other way getting to me (if you think it is a worthwhile project.)

THIS IS AWESOME!!!  HYSTERICAL!

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: FURTHER PROOF THAT GOD CAN BRING GOOD OUT OF ANYTHING

So I go to the postoffice today and get in line with everybody else.  It is pretty darn quiet - a tad louder than a library when all of a sudden this lady cries out:

Literally (and I don't use that word lightly) EVERYBODY in the room jumped, turned and said, "WHAT?"  The lady was just on her phone talking her heart out.  "So I said to Teddy - oh wait, you're Teddy!  Ha ha!  Well, I said to Toddy . . . "

After she (eventually) got off the phone the man in front of her started to tell her a humorous story about how he was in a store and this lady was on a phone and how it disturbed everyone around her.

I don't know if she really didn't get it or if she was just playing ignorant so she could go on talking on her phone.  And get me, she wasn't just talking on the phone she was broadcasting to the greater Akron metropolitan area.  I was rather surprised she even needed a phone.  I am sure that she was loud enough for whomever was on the other side of the phone to hear wherever they may be.  

Grrr!  Why is this SOOOOOOOOO annoying???  

Then I'm driving home and listening to the radio - something I don't do that often but I wanted my mind off of the situation.  The Catholic radio station to which I was listening said, "We are going to play a homily from lent of last year."  I'm thinking, "Why lent?  Why not an old advent homily."  And then the priest quoted Scripture . . . 

Oh.

That's why.

WOULD THIS WORK?

So here’s a project I’m thinking on (and need to bring to Parish Finance Council, Pastoral Council, Staff and etc.)  But I wanted to see if you out there might have any ideas or interest.

Here’s the basic pitch:  The parish would establish (for lack of a better term at the moment) two houses of discernment, one for men and one for women.  These would be for young adults following college but before they begin their vocation or chosen way of life.  (So it is a temporary situation - with a limit.  You couldn’t be 45 and still living there.)  Many of these young adults come from colleges that had houses in which they could live with like minded Catholic people.  But there are those awkward years after college and before you establish your own home that it can be difficult to find like minded peers, become involved in a parish, and have support carrying on the faith.

Without hiring another staff person, it is difficult to keep a young adult group going because they age out or move away and often without building up new recruits behind them.  (I must say that current crop of young adults in Akron are outstanding in promoting community however.)  These houses would help perpetuate the young adult community in several ways:

1. It would help young adults form community.
2. It would aid those young adults becoming involved in a parish and Catholic culture.
3. Because of the nature of a house, it necessitate bringing in new people from time to time.

It would not be just an (relatively) inexpensive flop house either.  Residents would be expected to:

1. Go to Mass & practice the faith
2. Continue their religious education
3. Be involved in some ministry in the parish & local young adult groups
4. Host young adult events such as service projects, dinners and formation nights.

There are a lot more details from legal issues to practical living arrangements but this is a brief overview to test your reaction.  I know this has been tried at other parishes outside of this diocese with (mostly) some good effect.  In the meantime, I’d like to get your input if you have any,

Thanks & God bless,

Fr. V

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CDLVIII

FINDNG TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "This doctrine of equality is essential to conversation."  from G. K. Chesterton's, "What's Wrong with the World"

QUOTE II:  "Anyone who has seen our unhappy young idealist in the East End Settlements losing their collars in the wash and living on tinned salmon will fully understand why it was decided by the wisdom of St. Bernard or St. Benedict, that if men were to live without women, they must not live without rules."  same source

IN OTHER NEWS:

Events for you to consider:

Advent Noon Adoration and Organ Recital TODAY (Tuesday) with Ruth Anderson, Director of Music Ministries at Holy Trinity Lutheran, Akron.  (Let's hope that it is less exciting than last week's!)

And tomorrow:

P.V. sent in THIS article about a fantastic prayer by a military chaplain before the Army-Navy game.

A person who was at a wedding at St. Sebastian recently wrote a blog post about the experience.  Find it HERE.

It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas:

Putting up the rectory tree:

School Christmas Concert from my balcony seat:

Fr. K sent this in: SAVE THE DATE:  2nd Annual Priest vs. Seminarians Basketball Game!  Sunday, January 27th, 2019 Tip-off  6:00 PM  Hosted at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, 15 North Maple Street, Akron, OH 44303, LeBron James Arena.  Suggested $2 donation will be accepted at the doors to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Society.   Bring the entire family for a fun-filled evening!  

A parishioner, Mr. John Kastelic wrote the piece called, "Restoration" in honor of the restoration of St. Sebastian Parish church.  3.5 mins.  I hope you like it as much as I.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: THOSE DOGGONE LIFE'S LESSONS

I can't make this stuff up.

(Sensitive stomach trigger warning.)

So, a dear priest friend of mine (who shall remain anonymous) decided it was time to get a dog.  I suggested a rescue dog like Sebastian and Chesterton.  And he did go look but he had other plans.

I have never had a puppy but having done some puppy sitting, I know that these little blossoms of cuteness need a tremendous amount of attention and tend to get into things.  But who am I to say?  I even kept my mouth shut when he showed up for brunch one Wednesday looking as though he was chased by a bear naked through a briar patch.

THEN he tells the story of what happened last week.  Apparently he has trained his puppy, let's call him Barfy, to get some of his pent-up energy out by trotting on his otherwise unused treadmill.

So the dog is having the time of his life merrily trotting along when something went terribly wrong.  Some interesting and dreadful noises resonated from the puppy's stomach preceding an explosion of "material" from Barfy's working end.

Do you know how, when normally you can do things quickly and efficiently but in an emergency situation your hands turn into oven mitts and your brain turns to mush?  Well that is what happened to my poor priest friend.  Leaping up (from his comfy chair) he tried to come to the rescue of Barfy only to be foiled by the simplest of "OFF" switches while his poor puppy happily trotted along and continued to spray paint the treadmill.

What made matters worse was that the "puppy material" was spraying off the end of the tread, splattering onto the wall and carpeting only further exasperating the would be rescuer.  I didn't want to draw this because it would be gross but here is something none-the-less that will give you an idea:

Of course, at this point, what stuck to the treadmill is now coming around again and the puppy is . . . well, do you really want an explanation?

Fortunately, my friend got everything under control.  The puppy was wondering why the entertainment had to stop.  And then the fun part of cleaning up had to take place.  So tons of paper towels were used and put into a trash bag.  

I should explain that my friend is EXTREMELY sensitive to smells.  He is easily gagged.  So with the last of his strength, he ran the bag upstairs and intended to take it outside to the trash through their sliding glass door.

Now this door is a pain.  It's old and weary and sometimes needs some gentle finessing to get it to open.  A smelly bag, a sensitive nose and weak stomach is no time for finessing.

And thus the perfect storm for cleanup #2.

I must say that I am proud of the spirituality of my friend who has learned to laugh at himself and who is open to growing from his past experiences.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: HISTORY OF THE RECTORY: INTO THE WOODS

Right on Fr. Pfeiffer’s heals another priest came along who would take a weekly room at the rectory.  The priest, who visited Akron every Wednesday from a neighboring state, would take a hotel room for which his order would pay.  He had a ministry that operated out of a neighboring parish that was eventually slated to close  He came knocking on our door to see if we would be open to having the ministry move to St. Sebastian.  The young priest from Barcelona, Spain fit in well and a month or so into his ministry here I said to him, “If your order would give me a quarter of what they pay the hotel, you could just stay here every week. You would have the company of priests, an open kitchen, and not worry about check in or check out times.”  A deal was struck. 

Fr. Trullio was a delight to have around.  He was unsure about Sebastian (the dog) but he did enjoy joining us for the dog’s daily walks.  On such walks we talked about the differences between Barcelona and Akron and surprisingly Akron was not always the loser.  “Why do you Americans build your cities in the woods?” he asked one day.  Our neighborhood is well inside the boundaries of the city of Akron and is by no means in “the woods,” but if you have ever been to Barcelona, you might understand why he asked this question.  

He was also fascinated by yard sales.  It took a couple of weeks for him to wrap his mind around people taking things out of their houses, putting them on their lawn, and selling them.  An offer of joining us for a dog walk was usually accompanied by the question, “Will we be able to stop by a yard sale today you suppose?”  It became a fruitful endeavor as more furniture for empty rooms was found.

GUEST BLOGGER - IS IT TIME TO RETURN TO THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION?

Guest Blogger:  I am happy to have as our Guest Blogger today Deacon Michael Petkosek.  He won't be a deacon much longer as he will (if God wills it!) become a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland this spring.  Here is a reflection he gave on returning to Confession in the advent season.  Thank you Deacon Petkosek.  Please keep him & his class in your prayers!

My return to the active practice of the faith took place on a Saturday afternoon in 2006. I was a young professional and had just begun my career at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The ruckus of college living had by then settled into a more mature focus on career and the necessities of life. Spurred by the disciplined atmosphere at Wright-Patterson of serving something beyond oneself, I began a serious reflection on faith and the state of my life. It had been years since I last celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation and I knew that I had misarranged my life during that intervening time. And so it was that I turned off college football on this particular autumn Saturday, sat in the corner of my bedroom, and practiced out loud the words of an honest confession. Then I went to the local parish to come face to face with God through his priest, and found the welcoming forgiveness of the Prodigal Father. I was home.

Returning to the Sacrament of Reconciliation can be difficult if we have been away. Often, as in my case, the weight of a misdirected life compels us to return and we find ourselves finally running in desperation to the Church and her ministry. But that is not necessarily everyone’s story, and sometimes we may need the right situation to draw us toward this sacrament that we know ourselves to need. Advent is that situation.

The Season of Advent is the turning of the liturgical year for the Church. It is a time of hope that anticipates Christmas and invites us to renew and deepen our life in Christ. A feeling of resolution pervades the whole Church as she resets her calendar, and the opportunity for a fresh start calls us to make resolutions in our practice of the faith that will enrich our lives this Christmas, over the coming year, and for the eternity of our existence.

An examination of Christ’s ministry may help to lessen our fears if we are struggling with the courage to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We should keep in mind that when it comes to the forgiveness of sins, we are dealing with something that Christ did during his time on earth. The Evangelists clearly regarded Jesus as someone who possessed the authority to forgive sins and exercised this divine prerogative. We need to look no further than Jesus’ encounters with the paralytic in Mark’s Gospel, the woman caught in adultery of John’s Gospel, or the sinful woman forgiven in Luke’s Gospel to find the early Church’s profession of faith in Jesus’ ministry of forgiveness. We should also be encouraged by the reality that it is this same ministry that continues in the Church. It is in John’s Gospel, where the Last Supper Narrative most directly relates to the continuation of Jesus’ work through service to others, that these words are attributed to our Lord, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you… Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…” (20:21-23). There is not a more clear Biblical account that situates the forgiveness of sins as an action of the Church. 

Coming to grips with our sinfulness can be scary. But, we should not let ourselves be fooled by the false notion of God as an administrator of punishment. The Good News is that God loves us in the midst of our sin and is constantly at work in drawing us to himself, even when this takes the form of being called back to God—like my experience of return from a misarranged life. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the other half of the story is the Prodigal Father who never stops loving his wayward son. The father so hopes for his son’s return that, upon seeing him afar off, runs to meet him and never speaks of the incident in any other manner than my son has returned. The son had suffered the consequences of his actions—the effects of sin—but these are repaired upon returning to his father. The son is restored immediately by a father who longs for his presence. This Prodigal Father is God and the entire parable represents the experience of our sin. God is always eager for our return and the Sacrament of Reconciliation brings us back into the Father’s house, clothed with dignity, as the Prodigal Son was restored to his father’s house.

The celebration of the sacrament is meant to be an experience much like a Gospel encounter with Christ. We should say to the priest what we would say to Jesus if we were a penitent who encountered Jesus in a Gospel story, for indeed we are. The stern formality once associated with the sacrament exists today only as a caricature portrayed by the entertainment media. Instead, the rubrics of the liturgical rite that guide the celebration of the sacrament are almost transparent and are intended to facilitate a conversation. The priest is to serve as a visible instance of God’s welcome and mercy, someone who helps us to experience what the paralytic, the woman caught in adultery, and the sinful woman once experienced. The Church’s intention is to invite us to make a thoughtful examination of our conscience—to help us evaluate our circumstances honestly as did the Prodigal Son. We are not necessarily directed to produce an exhaustive list our venial sins, but a state of our life at the present moment; we should talk about sinfulness as much as we name specific instances of sin. Of course, any grave sins that an examination does reveal to us need to be named specifically in the confession. 

As we approach Advent, my hope is that you will desire to encounter Christ through his ongoing ministry in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Father desires this privileged encounter with his mercy for you; the priest in the confessional is the Prodigal Father running to meet you. I can attest that that Saturday in 2006 was a Gospel story that has been added to the entirety of Christ’s work. In the Story of the Young Professional, I am as a contemporary of the Prodigal Son. May this Advent lead you to the same joy, especially if you have been away. 

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CDLVII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "In our own lives the voice of God speaks slowly, a syllable at a time.  Reaching the peak of years. dispelling some of our intimate illusions and learning how to spell the meaning of life-experiences backwards, some of us discover how the scattered syllables form a single phrase.  Those who know that this life of our takes place in a world that is not all to be explained in human terms; that every moment is a carefully concealed act of His creation, cannot but ask: is there anything wherein His voice is not suppressed?  Is there anything wherein His creation is not concealed?"  from Abraham Heschel's, "God in Search of Man."

IN OTHER NEWS:

P.V. sent THIS article in on the War on Advent.

P.V. also sent THIS article about Starbucks keeping customers from watching porn in their stores.

Notice the relief on Fr. Simone's face when I said I was joking when I said he was fired and that he could quit the new job he took on.

Some events that might interest you during advent:

Recently a priest friend of mine sent me a note saying that the site "Fight the New Drug" movement is pretty darn good.  You can find it HERE.  Here is another of it's previews:  (5 Mins.)

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: GETTING RID OF MICE IS A SNAP

So apparently we had mice in the rectory.  Marcy brought us over some food and went to put it in the cupboard (misspelled above but I didn't want to redraw it) and saw evidence that a mouse had been in there.  She cleaned it up and put a FEW mouse traps in there with a warning to be careful when reaching in there blindly for some ValueTime cheese curls or something.

So fine.  That was that.  Then we had a few people over to celebrate a birthday when this happened:

All this fuss about a cute, defenseless tiny grey mouse that was simply walking across the basement floor.  

As it turns out, the Franciscan spirituality only goes so far around here and we were given more traps to set out.  So we used up the remains of a jar of peanut butter and set some more traps around the house.  We put them in very strategic places so that the dogs could not get to them.

UNFORTUNATELY while I was gone on Wednesday, the carpets in the house were cleaned.  The cleaners did a fine job but as part of their cleaning, they moved furniture, stacked things on couches and beds and tables.  It took a little while when we were in the basement to think, "Oh dear, that means something bad for the dogs."  At just that moment, Sebastian started digging behind a table.  Almost at the same time I started yelling, "Sebastian!  No!" there was a SNAP!

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: HISTORY OF THE RECTORY: CHAPTER SIX

Shortly after all of the “congratulations on your new assignment can we come see the rectory” visits were over, the phone rang in my office.  It was the Secretary for Clergy Personnel of the diocese asking if I would be open to having a parochial vicar.  It's a great gig if you can get it.  There is always a lot of work to do at any given parish and having an extra hand on deck (if you can afford it) is an enormous blessing.  The plan was to hand on some of my responsibilities to him, but in reality what ended up happening was that we just took more on.

To be perfectly honest, there is not a lot of accountability in the priesthood.  To a certain extent, one can work as little or as much as one wants.  Suppose a priest only wants to pray the sacraments and the rest of the time puts the parish on auto pilot while he eat chips in front of the television.  Barring his name appearing on the front page of the local scandal sheet, what is the bishop going to do?  Fire him?  That would only make matters worse.  That just means spreading your already thin ranks even thinner.  There is only so much that an be done.

But the converse is also true.  A priest can work eight days a week, twenty five hours a day and there will still be a ton of things that could be done and that he might try to tackle.  Having another priest around would not only help take some of that pressure off, but it would also be nice to have someone around to warn you when you are going off the deep end, unpack the day with and (since we are not married) point out any peculiarities you might be developing in your solitude.

The priest that would be coming, Fr. Pfeiffer, would be straight out of the oven.  The oils would not have even dried on the palms of his hands yet before he said his first Mass at St. Sebastian.  In most cases, when such an assignment is made, it is simply announced and the priests are thrown together in not much different a fashion as arranged marriages: the two of you finding yourselves suddenly living together are forced to work it out.  Not so with a newly ordained.  Introductions are made and the proper care and feeding of these young pups are given at a meeting at the seminary.  A long list of questions to discuss are given in the form of color coded papers and we are given time to find a private spot and discuss such things as Mass and confession schedules, duty days, talents and job distributions, house rules, and so forth and so on.  But, when the time came, I put all that aside to discuss things that were truly important and pressing on my mind.  Before even saying hello I shook the young man’s hand and asked, “So tell me Father, do you like dogs?”

MAKING SURE OUR ACTIONS MATCH OUR DESIRED OUTCOME

The current Church scandal is something that should inspire those who are appalled (and I hope you are) to become more devoted to the faith than ever.  Rather than taking the supposedly logical and seemingly legitimate route of declaring “the Church” hypocritical and walking away, it makes much more sense to see these horrific events as a sign that each individual person should be more devoted than ever to the Church and the most steadfast adherence to matters of faith than ever and this is why:

What we have seen and witnessed and many suffered through is NOT what happens when the faith is well practiced and Church law is attended to, it is what happens when the faith is NOT practiced and Church law is subverted at a time when far too many people have been content to have the both run on autopilot.  

In a similar vein, I am always amazed at how people think that just because their car is parked in a church parking lot that they can leave their car unlocked and their purse full of money on the front seat and that it should be Okay because it is on Church property.  I have not heard of a parish yet that has not experienced theft.  Church attracts sinners - some working at overcoming sin (that is hopefully most of us) and those who are looking for cover.  So if we want our parishes to be safe, we have to be vigilant and not leave the collection sitting in a pew, the candle boxes left unlocked, the payroll just sitting out on a desk.

The practice of the faith is just the same and from time to time, like an audit pointing out financial practices that have slipped, the practice of the faith needs constant renewal.  And when renewal has happened historically, it has always occurred when individual men and women have decided to take their faith seriously and live it actively and publicly.  

IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE EVIL THAT SOME HAVE DONE IN THE CHURCH then do not give up on the right practice of faith for it is vehemently opposed to such things.  If you want such evil actions to spread and become more common, then abandon the faith which is one of the few organized and powerful voices in the world still standing against such things.  

But it needs you to live it.  The Kingdom of God exists in this world as “already/not-yet.”  It is already breaking into the world since Jesus Christ, but it will not be fully established until He comes again.  Until then, it exists where men and women of good faith live it.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CDLVI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "Not long ago, the household was a context of daily life.  The arts that provided for the material needs of human life were largely home arts, practiced, developed, and passed on within the four walls, or at least in the immediate ambit of the home."  from John Chudback's article, "Reclaiming the Household" in First Things Nov. 2018

QUOTE II:  "Even those who intentionally seek to have  'traditional' family life, in fact, often lack the ability to comprehend the reality of a household that is not merely 'traditional,' but ancient and profoundly human.  They set out to start a family in a virtual vacuum.  The husband and father usually sallies forth to a remote job, and the wife and mother attempts to manage the day-to-day work of child-rearing - a project the real nature of which is elusive - while wondering what place she too might have 'out there'."  same source

IN OTHER NEWS:

Last night we had a special Theology on the Rocks.  It was an encore presentation of Fr. Klonowski's talk on some best practices of bringing adult children (and others) back to the faith.  The topic is so important that we the event was held free (thank you for the free will offering) and at Zwilser Hall.  Despite the poor weather conditions and the lack of certain beverages we still had about 70 people!

Fr. K gave "5 Don'ts and 5 Dos" for helping bring people back to the faith.  They were posted here many months ago.  Go HERE if you would like to see them again.

If you would like to hear the talk.  Go HERE.

This is what it looks like when the organ is being tuned.  Tuesday, Advent Noon Adoration and Organ Recitals are coming up soon!

 Theology on Tap is coming up - I'll be giving the talk that I gave to ToR on architecture:

We gave a "Welcome to Akron" dinner to Fr. Zerucha, new pastor of St. Bernard and St Mary parishes.  Congratulations!

Six minutes with Matthew Kelly